Community Fellows Reflections: Lindsay

Hello! It is November already
and I'm finally able to wear a sweater; time rapidly flies by, and at the same
time goes at a snail's pace. I pray time has been good to you if you're reading
this blog post. It certainly has been to me.

First of
all, thank you to everyone who not only prays for KCB but for the fellows in
the Fellows Program. I feel it and appreciate it. God provides, protects,
guides, and reveals His will in so many big and small ways.

Christian
Community Development is messy. I'm discovering the further into the program I
get, the more I cannot compartmentalize my life- and I know this is good.
Living life with others is rarely uncomplicated, neat and tidy, which does
cause friction to my Dutch, CRC upbringing. (Amiright??? *nudge *wink...ugh)

There is
an element to this lifestyle which holds me even more accountable to myself, to
my friends and community, and to my Lord. It is almost as if I'm choosing to
live in a glass house to a large degree. And even though I'm making a
metaphorical comparison, our neighbors have looked in our windows to see if
we're home and want to chat, so... take that for what you will.

Our
neighbors. Night falls earlier so this tends to make it more difficult to be
social on our property and in our neighborhood. I am now working almost
full-time hours at InJoy Life Resources, which is a blessing, but causes me to
feel a bit stretched thin. Time management... (Once again amiright???)
Opportunities still come up and I'm ever grateful for the conversation and
laughs I can have with one of our neighbors about her cats, her truck, or the
basil plant I 'let' her adopt. Oh man. The stories and honest relationships
that give me joy... Our property has few children on it, mostly strong, single
women with full-time jobs, and as such, our experience has looked quite
different from the girls on Eucalyptus. I ask for prayers for more and
more opportunities for walls to fall down and for relationships to become
stronger. We want roots in these friendships.

Our
Church. Bell One shares space with two other church bodies- the potential is so
great! And since I was raised in this church's traditions, I am already
equipped and comfortable there. (Can be both good and bad.) I ask for prayers
to become an advocate for CCD ideas and actions at our church. They have
welcomed me with open arms and each Sunday I meet someone new. It is
already home! But please pray that the Lord guides these relationships and
doesn't allow me to become too comfortable in the familiar.

And
finally, God has been so loving to me. IS so loving to me. He is lifting a
magnifying glass to all areas of my life, and especially within my own heart
and mind. To say there have been changes in these two areas is an
understatement. God is rearranging me and mixing me up causing me to fully,
100%, rely on Him. THIS IS REALLY REALLY REALLY DIFFICULT. I can say I've
trusted him and that I had faith, but in the past I've always had at least one
foot on the ground in terms of control. This is not the case anymore. Lastly, I
ask for prayers that this becomes the norm and not the exception.

I love
coffee, by the way. And I love meeting new people! Consider this an open
invitation to chat and laugh together. Have a wonderful week!